5 TED Learning Videos Art Students Must See

To be an art student, you need to have a strong resolve. In this post, we showcase some of the best TED learning videos by compelling artists that will not only inspire you to study art in college, but also empower you to make bold and brazen art once you become a professional.

TED is an annual global event that holds conferences with different speakers from the technology, education, and design industries. The talks aim to inspire creative ideas and spark healthy discussions about many respective fields in business. More importantly, TED conferences make people think critically to help them improve not only in their work, but also their approach to life.

If this is the first time you’ve heard of TED, then you will learn a lot of things by watching videos of their speakers online. For aspiring art students in college out there, we have compiled five of the best TED learning videos with artists as they discuss their lives as creative people in this world.

John Maeda: How art, technology and design inform creative leaders

“People say I don’t get art,” says Maeda. “I don’t get it at all that means art is working. Art is supposed to be enigmatic…Art is about asking questions that may not be answerable.” Do you agree?

Thelma Golden: How art gives shape to cultural change

As an artist, it is your responsibility to not only share your knowledge through artistic and creative expression, but also become a catalyst of change. According to Ms. Golden, art can be used to tackle current social, political, and economical issues and challenge their ideas of conventional knowledge for the better.

Alwar Balasubramaniam: Art of substance and absence

This is one of the TED learning videos that deeply looks into the journey of an artist and the driving principles and philosophies involved into making his or her art.

Amanda Palmer: The art of asking

Musician Amanda Palmer has used the digital age, where people would illegally download music instead of buying it, to her advantage. The talk about tackle the changing relationship between artist and fan that students can think about and learn from.

Raghava KK: My 5 lives as an artist

Being an artist is indeed a journey, both as a professional and a personal sense, as Raghava explains in his talk. Ultimately, that journey should end you to a place where there is nothing for you to do but inspire people through your art.